MISSISSIPPI INBRE THE INSTRUMENTATION AND SERVICES CORE Project Summary/Abstract The mission of the Instrumentation and Services Core (ISC) of the MS INBRE is to promote and facilitate faculty and student research in the fields of genomics, proteomics, and imaging methodologies. The Core will serve as a nucleus for the development of research and educational programs aimed at increasing the competitiveness of cutting-edge technologies throughout the state of Mississippi. The ISC is committed to the following: 1) enhancing and maintaining state-of-art instrumentation; 2) initiating and coordinating the use of research technologies for basic and clinical research initiatives throughout the state of Mississippi; 3) providing exemplary technical expertise in the field of genomics, proteomics, and imaging to the Mississippi investigators including those at undergraduate institution; 4) offering timely, high-quality data and analyses at competitive costs; and 5) providing opportunities to educate and train students, faculty, and staff at academic institutions that would not have the independent resources to implement cutting-edge research technologies. The ISC covers major technologies available for conducting leading-edge research and integration with the Bioinformatics Core. The funds requested will help support the three centralized cores, thereby providing an opportunity for core directors to build strong interactions across different disciplines to the benefit of all MS investigators. The following aims were developed to accomplish the mission of the core and complement the MS INBRE program: 1) To provide consultation, technical expertise, and research services to MS investigators; 2) To provide education and training opportunities for students and faculty in genomics, proteomics, and imaging technologies; and 3) To provide ongoing improvement in existing assays, services, and enhance technological capabilities by acquiring leading-edge instrumentation.